Despite my love for Asian cuisine, I have a low tolerance of spicy foods, which makes me feel uneasy when dining at a Thai restaurant. However, my initial thoughts were changed when I paid a visit to Baby Elephant Thai in Walnut.

The restaurant is a bit small but has a similar layout to a Pho restaurant. There are several large tables for families but no two -person tables. It was very quiet inside with only soft instrumental music playing in the background.

My father and I were immediately greeted and seated at a table. We ordered three Thai iced teas with no boba ($2.50 each), which were served in large mugs. Our iced teas were perfect, not too sweet but also lacking the bitter coffee taste I despise.

Looking at the menu, I was a little worried to see the red chili symbol placed alongside almost all the dishes, even the salads. For our appetizer, we ordered a chicken satay ($7.95), which came as five pieces of grilled chicken marinated in curry on bamboo sticks. After our waitress assured us that the curries weren’t that spicy, I decided to order a yellow curry ($8.95) with beef and brown rice.

Our food arrived not long after we ordered. The chicken satay was served on a large plate with a small side of cucumber salad. Normally, I don’t lean toward using extra sauce, but the chicken was a little dry. The peanut sauce tasted just like a sweet and sour sauce. It helped add flavor to the dry texture of the chicken without overpowering the taste of the curry.

The curry arrived in a large bowl with the rice on a separate plate. I’d only had Japanese curry before, so I was surprised by the thin watery consistency of the warm curry that was placed in front of me. My father described the appearance as “oily” but after having a few bites, we realized it tasted much better than it looked. I was not expecting the savory taste brought out by the thin curry sauce on top of the crispy potatoes and brown rice. The spiciness began to hit me when I was halfway done, but it didn’t seem to affect my father at all.

For our final course, we decided to order some Thai donuts ($2.95). The warm donut tasted like a funnel cake while the “secret sauce” reminded me of condensed milk. After we finished, I was still craving for more.

Overall, I was very pleased with my visit at Baby Elephant Thai. My authentic Thai meal was affordable and filling, and the service was excellent. The large portions and cozy atmosphere will definitely make me return.